Clockwise Riverwalk Again

 

Out the door right at 7 a.m.

Daylight comes

I know I have way too many pictures of the Berry farm, especially this silo.

Ripkin and Raleigh

"Them cotton fields back home"

The Oostanaula from the Armuchee Bypass bridge.

Great Blue Heron

Jethro

Otto & Hugo

The clearing and mulching of ingrowth has really opened the view around Chieftains Museum

Chieftains Museum 

The Oostanaula from the Turner McCall Bridge

Home again -- 14,500 steps, over 5 miles.

Out and Back on the MBT

Late start: out the door at 8:35 a.m.

Molly nad her human along the MBT.

Eight month old Sushi was accompanied by Sushi 8 mos a mom, dad, and two little girls.

A quiet spot to watch the Oostanaula.

Love this section.

I'm trying to keep a record here of the ripening cotton field.

The cotton bolls are beginning to ripen.

Another butterfly -- would not cooperate by leaving his wings spread for my camera.

One off my favorite sections of the trail.

I can't resist taking more pictures of this Berry Collge field and the barn and silo. I love this walk.

A ragged Gulf Fritillary

Late Boneset -- Eupatorium serotinum

Bearded Beggarticks-- Bidens aristosa 
A native beauty.

Completed the circuit just before 11 a.m.

Meanwhile in California Ruth shows off her snagglepuss at the park.

  

Down and Back Again on the Mt. Berry Trail

I was off very late on my walk this morning: 8:35. I walked a leisurely two and a half hours and a little over five miles. The last hour of the walk was pretty hot and I was soaked when I got home. Over 16.000 steps for the day according to my Apple Watch at 10 p.m. With only two or three days excepted, I have had a substantial morning walk every day since we got back from California almost a month ago.

Other walkers generally had better sense than to start so late. In the distance is one walker coming with his dog Molly.

I like to do the down and back route on hot days -- there's more shade on the west side of the river and it's quieter.

A family including mom, dad, and twi daughters came along with a fur ball they call Sushi.

I called Sheila as I passed this bench in sight of the Armuchee Connector bridge. She had been sleeping when I left the house.

This is a very lovely part of the trail. I thoroughly enjoy these long morning walks. 

There are large cotton fields near the connector that ...  

...are beginning to burst into bolls now.

On the walk back I took my one millionth picture of this barn and silo. Okay, that might be an exaggeration.

A ragged butterfly.

Native wildflower: Conoclinium coelestium, Blue Mistflower.

Native wildflower: Euparorium secotinum, Late Boneset

Native wildflower: Vernonia gigantic, Giant Ironweed

Native wildflower: Bidens aristosa, Bearded Beggarticks

Other than my walk it was lazy Sunday, I am afraid. I watched part of the First UMC service on YouTube. I researched my nerve ailment (intense itching/pain in my middle back) with the help of Chatgpt. It has finally dissipated after three or four days of misery. Last night I slept through the night! Yay! I had slept VERY little for two nights. Sheila and I watched a couple of episodes of =a PBS murder mystery show -- Marlow Murders (or something like that.) AND Sheila got out a box of chocolate candies (a present from Mike Bock) that had been in the freezer for over a year. We ate several pieces.

I am still relishing my enjoyment of the ghost story program at Barnsley on Wednesday night. I was afraid that the nerve issue would screw it up but, although I had some pain/itch is was not disrupting.